The Emerging Scholars Blog

HT to Arlene Miller, retired nursing faculty at Messiah College (Grantham, PA) and co-author of two InterVarsity Press Books (Called to Care: A Christian Worldview for Nursing and Values in Conflict: Christian Nursing in a Changing Profession), who shared with me What Life Asks of Us.

What do I find of interest regarding David Brooks’ NY Times Op-Ed piece?  The individualism of modern culture reinforced by groups of professors, such as those at Harvard, who define the purpose of liberal education as Read the rest of this entry »

I feel I am closest to God when writing. You’re singing praises. You’re describing the world, as it is. And even if the passages turn out sordid or depressing, there’s something holy about the truth — John Updike, commenting when interviewed for NPR’s ‘Tell Me A Story,’ as reflected upon by the host, Marjorie Leet Ford, March 31, 2003.*

Over breakfast this morning, I read the NY Times article A Relentless Updike Mapped America’s Mysteries.  In addition, I watched the brief, but stimulating October 2008 interview of John Updike (1932-2009) focused upon the craft of fiction and the art of writing.  Hungry for more, I watched the A Life in Letters Interview. ** With regard to both pieces, I was struck by the wisdom of this 76 year old from central Pennsylvania (who moved north for a Harvard education and continued in suburban Massachusetts for writing and family life).  As for Updike’s Tour of Protestantism, I found a helpful piece in Religion & Ethics Newsweekly’s report on his 2004 presentation at the Center for Religious Inquiry, St. Bartholomew’s Church, New York City.

Any Updike fans/experts have thoughts to share regarding the film version of “The Witches of Eastwick” (1987) versus his 1984 book, his range of writing, his characters, his themes (and the research involved in them), his life, his faith?  I must confess that I’m not very familiar with Updike and would love to learn more.  Teach me. Read the rest of this entry »

An interesting essay in the Chronicle Review, “Atheist Students on Campus: From Misconceptions to Inclusion,” (link, $ link, free) by Kathleen Goodman and John Mueller, argues that universities ought to do a better job of acknowledging and embracing atheist students. In a secular university, atheism has as much a place as any other philosophical or religious persuasion, I suppose, and I can imagine situations in which Christians on campus should defend the rights and inclusion of atheist students and faculty.

One of the authors’ suggestions struck me as unusual, however. They recommend that universities:

Ensure that atheists can, like other students, explore their inner development. By inner development, we refer to the process of examining and living one’s values, ethics, meaning, and purpose. Campuses should provide the same opportunities for atheist students that they provide for students who identify themselves as religious or spiritual.

In my observations, universities today don’t offer much in terms of “inner development” at all. Many historians have noted that a defining trend of American universities over the past 150 years has been a move away from character development and integration of life and learning as an educational mission. There is work being down on campus in these areas, but it is the work of student organizations, including InterVarsity chapters, not of the university itself.

Do you agree with my assessment? Or are universities indeed helping students explores their inner development?

Updated: The article is now available for free, via the link above.  (Thanks, Rachel!)

That’s the title of Dennis Overbye’s NY Times essay on what it means to restore science to its rightful place.*   He begins by sharing how he too wept tears of joy at the words of President Barack Hussein Obama (reference to the NY Times article Scientists Welcome Obama’s Words).  Question:  If you’re a member of the scientific community, did you likewise become teary eyed (or even weep) at the words of our new President on your own (or with your colleagues)?  If so, why?  If you’re outside of the scientific community, what was your reaction (and those of your colleagues)?

Does it come from the anticipated ability to properly address:

[i]ssues like stem cells, climate change, sex education and contraceptives, [which] the Bush administration sought to tame and, in some cases, suppress the findings of many of the government’s scientific agencies.  Besides discouraging scientific pronouncements that contradicted administration policies, officials insisted on tight control over even routine functions of key agencies.  In early 2004, more than 60 influential scientists, including 20 Nobel laureates, issued a statement claiming that the Bush administration had systematically distorted scientific fact in the service of policy goals on the environment, health, biomedical research and nuclear weaponry. — from Scientists Welcome Obama’s Words by Gardiner Harris & William J. Broad in NY Times, January 22, 2009.

Or for the benefits given by the research, findings, applications of science, which is not given highest priority by Overbye.

Or was it for reasons similar to those given by Dennis Overbye, who sees science On a Pedestal with it’s twin democracy, more basic to human progress than religious claims.  Watch out China ;-)  **

Read the rest of this entry »

ESN member Madelaine Hron, assistant professor in the Department of English and Film at Wilfrid Lauriern University (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada), just announced the release of Translating Pain: Immigrant Suffering in Literature & Culture (University of Toronto Press, February 12, 2009).

The book cover, the book title, and previous conversations with the author (extending back to her 2004-2005 post-doc at Carnegie Mellon University), led me to ask her whether she would be willing to share about her work with ESN.  Madelaine quickly responded by passing along the below summary and commenting that she would be happy to answer any questions folks may have regarding her new book. So if you have questions, post them.  Also, if you’d have interest in an on-line ESN reading group, let me know.  Note to faculty:  you might consider ordering it as an academic resource.

Translating Pain: Immigrant Suffering in Literature & Culture

In the post–Cold War, post–9/11 era, the immigrant experience has changed dramatically. Despite the recent successes of immigrant and world literatures, there has been little scholarship on how the hardships of immigration are conveyed in immigrant narratives. Translating Pain fills this gap by examining literature from Muslim North Africa, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe to reveal the representation of immigrant suffering in fiction.

Applying immigrant psychology to literary analysis, Madelaine Hron examines the ways in which different forms of physical and psychological pain are expressed in a wide variety of texts. She juxtaposes post-colonial and post-communist concerns about immigration, and contrasts Muslim world views with those of Caribbean creolité and post–Cold War ethics. Demonstrating how pain is translated into literature, she explores the ways in which it also shapes narrative, culture, history, and politics.

A compelling and accessible study, Translating Pain is a groundbreaking work of literary and postcolonial studies. Read the rest of this entry »

What are your thoughts on ‘the Rightful Place of Science’ and the topics mentioned below?

Many scientists have complained that the Bush administration relied on questionable science and disregarded the recommendations of scientific advisory boards, for example, in deciding to limit federal support of stem-cell research and to refuse to regulate carbon-dioxide emissions to deal with the threat of global climate change.

In contrast, Mr. Obama nominated Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist concerned with global warming, as his energy secretary. The U.S. Senate confirmed Mr. Chu and five other cabinet secretaries by voice vote just hours after President Obama took the oath of office. The newly confirmed cabinet members include Arne Duncan as education secretary. — from In Inaugural Address, Obama Vows to Restore ‘Rightful Place’ of Science, by Eric Kelderman, in Chronicle of Higher Education, January 21, 2009.

Have you been following the  inauguration?  Why or why not?  Does your campus have a special event?   Has any campus canceled classes all day or over the lunch hour?

With regard to the oath of office, my friend Andy Crouch had some questions regarding oath-taking which I found of interest.  What do you think about the taking of oaths?  What do they provide?  Do you take an oath in your profession, discipline, or institution?

As for praying for the President elect, our family used the framework of the one posted by Scot McKnight.  What have others prayed?  Does anyone have classic inaugural prayers which they find of great value?

How do you remember Martin Luther King, Jr?  Last year I asked my elementary aged kids whether the cover of their MKL booklets depicted Martin Luther King, Jr., preaching.  They wondered why.  Apparently, they hadn’t learned about Martin Luther King, Jr., as a Reverend.  An educational moment which inspired further conversation.

How do you remember, understand, process, celebrate, share the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., with friends, family, and colleagues?  If you haven’t thought about it enough today and already have material to share, I’d encourage you to take a few minutes to

1. watch I Have a Dream on YouTube
2. read Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. (originally printed in the October 2002 issue of First Things).  In this article Richard John Neuhaus shares much more than I’m prepared to share with my kids.*  Below’s the concluding paragraph from Richard John Neuhaus’ Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. Read the rest of this entry »

[He's] one of the most effective science popularizers of all time, awarded recognition by both scientific and literary societies.  His best-selling popular science books, like The Selfish Gene (1976) and The Blind Watchmaker (1986), have created vocabulary, examples, and arguments widely used in discourse about evolution. Passionately convinced that science rules out the supernatural, Dawkins has become an increasingly aggressive and outspoken foe of religion, using science to discredit religious beliefs.

How effective?  How much of a public figure?  How about his involvement with the mass transit ad campaign in London?

Richard Dawkins & the bus ad There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.**

Read the rest of this entry »

OK, so this doesn’t have anything to do with academia – in fact, I once nearly lost a summer scholarship to Oxford because a professor thought that my interest in quick recall/College Bowl-type competitions would distract me from legitimate academic work. But hey, it’s still fun. Register online for the Jeopardy contestant quiz, which will be held January 27, 28, and 29. And, if you win, don’t forget who told you about it. :)